November 8, 2012

My Mama Told Me, You’d Better Shop Around

Seriously, she did! She told me that she’s going to the Strathmore Music Hall’s annual Shop Around with one of my sisters. If you’re in the general DC/MD/VA region, this is a great idea. Nearly 20 museums and historic houses from the area will be gathering to sell the unique items from their gift shops. Instead of going from place to place, all of these shops will be under one (architectural) roof in Bethesda, Maryland.

Knowing some of these organizations, I’ll bet that there are going to be some great one-of-a-kind gifts there. Can you imagine what great things the Textile Museum has, or the Supreme Court Historical Society (the cookbook Chef Supreme honoring the husband of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg)?

As we move closer to the holidays I am going to, once again, be doing some unusual gift guides. To me, there’s nothing worse than being an unimaginative gift giver… unless it’s being the recipient of such a gift.

I used to joke that in some museums, the shops were taking up more and more space, until one day there would be all shop and no museum. That is apparently was has taken place now. While I understand the appeal of these shops, and the necessity of holiday shopping, I hope that everyone who goes here has earned the right by attending at least one museum or historic house in the last year (or plans to go soon). (Obviously I am preaching to the choir here; I know that everyone connected with this blog is an inveterate museum-goer.)--Road to Parnassus

About Me

Pigtown Design is the musings of Meg Fairfax Fielding, a Baltimore-based writer, photographer and fund-raiser, who explores design, architecture, culture, and current events in Baltimore and around the world.